Establishes the offense of criminal impersonation, making it a misdemeanor to impersonate another and defame that person or place the person at risk of bodily injury.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. Chapter 707, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§707-   Criminal impersonation. (1) A person commits the offense of criminal impersonation if the person, while impersonating another, makes or causes to be made, either directly or indirectly, a transmission of any information about the other that the person does not believe to be true, by any oral statement, any written statement, or any statement conveyed by any electronic means, with the intent to defame the other person or in reckless disregard of the risk of causing bodily injury to the other person.

(2) For purposes of this section, "defame" means to so harm the reputation of another as to lower the person in the reputation of the community or to deter third persons from associating or dealing with the person. The meaning of the statement is that which a recipient correctly, or mistakenly but reasonably, understands that it was intended to express.

(3) Criminal impersonation is a misdemeanor."

SECTION 2. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun, before its effective date.

SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.